Rachel Larsen is the Senior Coordinator for the Restorative Justice program at CU Boulder (CURJ). She holds an MA in Communication Studies and a professional certificate in Restorative Justice & Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego. She is active in the Colorado restorative justice community, serving on the boards of the Colorado Coalition for Restorative Justice Practices (CCRJP) in the Education Seat and on the board of Victim Outreach Incorporated (VOI), a non-profit which serves impacted parties across the Denver Metro area. Rachel has led restorative justice training for the National Association of Community for Restorative Justice (NACRJ), “I Have A Dream'' Foundation of Boulder County, TEDxCU, and has trained over 100 facilitators through CURJ. Since starting her restorative justice practice in 2016, Rachel has facilitated roughly 600 restorative circles in multiple contexts.
Rachel has worked with the Peace, Conflict & Security Studies program since the Spring of 2020 when together with Dr. Michael D. English, they created the PACS/CURJ Internship. Through the PACS/CURJ Internship Rachel has seen dozens of CU graduates pursue a volunteer commitment, if not a career, in restorative justice practices after leaving CU Boulder. She finds joy in utilizing restorative practices and in developing leaders who have a strong foundation in restorative justice that can be implemented in whatever setting they pursue. Concepts that ground her work the most are a belief that restorative practices help us be more aligned with our “best” selves and a belief that these practices are pragmatic and often effective in bringing solutions to complex conflicts facing our communities.